


Lean on me

by Bl4ckHunter



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Not for WestAllen fans, Other, barry allen is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. After leaving the Speed Force, Barry visits Caitlin to do right by her.
Relationships: Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	Lean on me

**Author's Note:**

> Just something that popped into my head. Quick note, not for WestAllen fans. Any whining that Barry should be with Iris etc., shall be ignored and deleted since I am not going to give a crap and all you will be doing will be wasting your own and my time, so move on and look for WestAllen elsewhere, instead of being childish whining annoying maggots, I'm not in the mood to tell off a bunch of pathetic whining losers. Partly inspired by Stand with Ward and Queen's stories 'The Flash returns', a now deleted story 'The battle of time', and 'United we stand' and 'Heroes' TV series.
> 
> For the sake of the story, Caitlin is not working for Amunet, since, frankly, in the show, that was just to complicate things further for Team Flash.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Barry was in the Speed Force, when he was trying to prevent it from destroying the world as in front of him appeared a woman, who looked like his mother Nora.

"It's time for you to leave, Barry." Nora said.

"I thought I couldn't leave the Speed Force because—" Barry started.

"We wanted you to stay here and you would be ready to go back, once you realize something. Which is what?" Nora asked and Barry considered. Looking back, he had been too focused on saving Iris that he ignored Cisco in pain and Caitlin struggling with Killer Frost.

"That my friends need me. And not just Iris." Barry said. Looking back, he realized how bad of an influence she had been on him, especially in the past year.

"If you are able to focus on other things that had been in front of you the whole time, then you're ready." Nora said as a portal opened.

* * *

Caitlin was in a café, staring at the news report of Kid Flash and Vibe fighting a metahuman as a waiter poured her a mug of coffee.

"It's terrible, huh? These metas keep popping like flies. Sometimes I wonder if it's just a conspiracy. The speedsters are just with the other freaks and just fooling us around." The waiter said.

"Just because they're different, it doesn't mean they're all the same." Caitlin noted.

"Still, living in a town full of freaks…" The waiter noted.

"Or spend our lives in a crappy diner." Caitlin said but immediately realized her mistake, when she saw the look the waiter was giving her. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." She left a tip for the waiter on the desk before the mug in her hand started to freeze.

The waiter looked at Caitlin oddly as Caitlin ran off, breathing out.

* * *

Caitlin entered her apartment then noticed something… odd. She readied her hands as she walked down the living room before sensing a presence behind her and she turned around, charging her hands. "Freeze!"

"Whoa, whoa! Cait, it's me! It's Barry!" Barry shouted, raising his hands.

"Barry?" Caitlin breathed out in shock. "But you… what… how… I thought—"

"I'm back. It's complicated but I just got back, OK?" Barry said.

"How did you find me?" Caitlin demanded.

"It wasn't easy and no, Cisco didn't tell me. In fact, no one else asides from you knows I'm back yet." Barry said.

"What… how… what about Joe? Iris? And—" Caitlin started.

"I needed to make sure you're fine." Barry said as he took a breath. "Look, I wanted to apologize for everything that has happened in the past year. Flashpoint, Savitar, Killer Frost, all of it. I'd been so focused on Iris that I ignored how much was Cisco struggling with losing Dante and you with Killer Frost and it's in part my fault that you joined Savitar."

"Barry…" Caitlin sighed. "You shouldn't have come here. And it wasn't your fault."

"It all happened because of Flashpoint. I didn't stop to consider how it might affect you, Cisco or anyone else and you all paid for my mistake. And you guys needed me but I wasn't there and was more focused on Iris than my best friends and there's almost nothing I can do to make it right but I want to at least try." Barry said pleadingly.

"Barry… I… I don't know…" Caitlin started, when Barry looked at her hands.

"Cait. You're freezing." Barry said and Caitlin looked down at her hands in horror to see them turn into ice. "Is it Frost?"

"No. This is… different." Caitlin said.

"What's going on?" Barry asked.

"Something's wrong with me. Really wrong." Caitlin said, terrified and in that instant, Barry knew she needed help.

* * *

Caitlin was in her black lingerie as Barry filled the tub in the bathroom with warm water and Caitlin was breathing out and trembling in cold as she was going into the warm water before she relaxed but was letting out cold breaths.

"Are you OK?" Barry asked.

Caitlin took deep breaths as she relaxed. "A bit better." She heard some whistling. "Are you making a tea?"

"I thought you could use a hot drink." Barry said.

"Thanks. That's very kind of you, Barry." Caitlin smiled as Barry left.

But suddenly, the water in the tub was freezing and turning into ice as Caitlin panicked and went out of the bathroom, putting on her bathrobe as Barry was pouring tea into the mugs.

"Is everything alright?" Barry asked worriedly.

"The water froze. It's happening all over again! I can't take it anymore, Barry—" Caitlin panicked.

"Cait. Just take it easy, calm down and deep breaths, OK?" Barry assured, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I promise, we're going to figure this—"

Suddenly, Barry's hands started to freeze until he was turned into an ice stature.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked hesitantly. "Can you hear me?"

Barry just stared blankly as Caitlin broke down in tears. This was exactly why she ran away, because she didn't want to hurt her friends again. Caitlin sat down on the floor, curled to a ball and sobbing before suddenly, she heard sizzling and looked up, staring in surprise as the ice melted and she saw Barry vibrating until he turned normal and she breathed out in shock.

"What… how…" Caitlin was lost for words.

"I was accelerating molecules and vibrating, so that I could preserve the heat in my body." Barry explained as he sat next to her, holding her shoulders and she sobbed into his shoulder, while he hugged her, soothing her. "It's OK, Cait. It's OK."

* * *

"Don't you think it's because of how you push us away is that why you're losing it with your powers?" Barry noted as they sat on the couch, drinking hot tea. "How long has it been happening?"

"Started earlier today. I saw the news report about Wally and Cisco protecting Central City and it just reminded me too much of…" Caitlin took a breath and Barry immediately understood. "I've been trying to put myself back together but it's like if the pieces just don't fit anymore."

"Then why not come to Joe or Cisco? Or your Mom, for that matter?" Barry said.

"Do you honestly believe they'd forgive me—"

"Nobody faults you for what you did. It was Killer Frost." Barry said. "If there's something I've learned, we can't dwell on our past mistakes. You gotta find a way to live with it and forgive yourself and move on. Try to be better. I know I've been a crappy friend to you, but I'm trying, Cait." He took a sip from his mug. "I don't know about you but what I do know is that if I keep running from my problems, they're gonna haunt me forever. I have to own up to them and face it. I think the powers is just your guilt. You screwed up, yeah, but you need to let go, otherwise, it's gonna break you, eventually."

Caitin looked at Barry contemplatively. "You make it sound easy." She noted.

"Didn't say it was. But you know you don't have to do it alone, right? I'll be there for you." Barry said and Caitlin considered. "Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

Few weeks later, Barry was in the workshop of S.T.A.R. Labs, working on his suit, when Iris entered. She tried to spend more time with Barry, but he almost at every opportunity turned her down, since he wanted to spend more time with his friends.

"Barry. We need to talk." Iris said as she approached Barry.

"About what?" Barry asked, not even looking at her, while working on his suit.

"About the fact that we've barely talked since you came back. I thought we were in this together, Barry." Iris said bluntly.

"Excuse me if I'm trying to make up for the lost time with my best friends." Barry said calmly but he was slowly losing patience with her.

"I'm sorry that you weren't there for them but that doesn't mean you get to turn your back on me again, not after what you did five months ago!" Iris snapped.

"And when I was with you, I turned my back on Caitlin and Cisco, in spite of what they had been going through, with Cisco struggling with losing Dante and Caitlin struggling with becoming Killer Frost. I could've helped them but I was so focused on you that I'd been ignoring the problems in front of me. If being with you means that I'm gonna neglect my best friends, when they're in pain I'd rather not be with you!" Barry snapped and Iris reeled back. "They're my friends and you don't get to change that. That doesn't mean that I don't care about you, Iris, but I'm not going to put you above everything else. Not this time."

As much as Iris wanted to fight back, the look in Barry's eyes made it clear to her that Barry was not going to relent, no matter what she said. Barry left as Iris was rooted to the spot she had been standing, her mind barely processing what just happened.

**Author's Note:**

> In hindsight, it wouldn't surprise me if Frost's powers were screwing with Caitlin even more due to her emotional state and guilt of working with Savitar, considering Season 4 and Season 6, when Frost was kind of getting unhinged due to the fear of dying in Crisis.
> 
> Didn't want to go further into the argument between Barry and Iris or address certain topics on the couples' therapy, since it would just tick me off to go on about them again.
> 
> To be blunt, Barry in Seasons 3-4 was the worst version of himself, since he was so focused on Iris that he neglected Cisco in pain over losing Dante and Caitlin struggling with Killer Frost and don't get me started on Iris's treatment of Barry and the team in Season 4. And to be frank, to me, the Barry/Cisco/Caitlin friendship has always been the heart of the show and not WestAllen and nothing you can say shall convince me of otherwise.
> 
> If a WestAllen fan comes at me with their arguments, I'm not in a mood to waste my time on them. If there is going to be a pro-WestAllen or pro-Iris comment, I shall ignore it and delete it, since I am not going to waste my time with them. Move on and look for WestAllen elsewhere, if you don't like my story and have nothing better to do than to just annoy me with your comments. Any comments that I'm a racist, misogynist or WestAllen hater, shall be ignored and deleted, since I don't give a damn about what the pathetic trolls think. If your lives are fulfilling only by annoying me with spouting your BS, then they must really be empty and pathetic, especially given what's going on in the world.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
